


Heroes

by shadowsdream



Category: The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-24
Updated: 2013-01-24
Packaged: 2017-11-26 16:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/652381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowsdream/pseuds/shadowsdream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In another time, what if Loki wins?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heroes

**Author's Note:**

> An alternative ending to The Avengers

In another time, what if Loki wins?

The Avengers were extraordinary, but even they could be outmatched and outnumbered. When the missile came, Loki was ready for it. The Earth was already his, its protectors scattered like carcasses across a minefield. The man of iron, crushed in his armour, nothing more than a ball of scrap metal; the soldier, a thousand pieces strewn over the rubble of Manhattan; the green monster, buried forty storeys underground beneath ten dead Leviathans; the two assassins, drowning in their own blood, heads ripped from their bodies. And then there was Thor.

The epic battle was over, and Loki had no further need for an army. With the help of the Tesseract and a touch of his own power, he guided the incoming missile upwards and through the portal, painting the incoming Chitauri red and gold upon impact. Plunging the sceptre into the core of Selvig’s device, he closed the doorway that the Tesseract had opened. As the link to the mothership was lost, the rest of the Chitauri fell. The Other was not likely fool enough to be on the ship. A shame, Loki thought, it would have wrapped things up perfectly. It irked him to follow orders, even if it was for pretence. Nevertheless, the Tesseract was his for now.

He surveyed the scene before him. Earth’s greatest warriors were defeated. Who left to stand before him now? The city was dead and silent save for the occasional rumble of falling debris.

“Loki…”

The voice came weak and soft, barely louder than the softest autumn breeze, but Loki recognised it. How could he not?

The God of Thunder was pinned under the giant body of a Leviathan. Mjolnir had already obliterated half the alien creature, the remaining spines had staked the Asgardian to the ground. Angry rivers of blood trickled around him, soaking through the already crimson cape. His breathing was ragged, each gasp an effort to pull the oxygen into his torn lungs. Gods were not immortal.

Loki knelt down beside Thor and placed a hand upon his chest. Concentrating, a tingle passed between them and Loki blinked back tears as he absorbed some of the pain. Breathing would be easier now but it would take a spell or two more to stop the bleeding, knit the tissue, fuse the bones… a hand moved towards him blindly, fumbling to grasp his own.

“Loki… will you come home now, brother?” came the plea. When Loki did not answer, Thor tried again. “It’s finished now. Come home, where you belong.”

“I can’t, it’s too late. There is no home for me in all the worlds.”

“Isn’t there enough death and destruction already?”

Loki tried to pull away. “It wasn’t supposed to end this way,” he hissed. No one understood him, no one could see the glorious plans he had, no one trusted the God of Mischief.

“Then how was it supposed to end. You invite an army to Earth and expect the humans to kneel before you?” Thor growled in anger, unable to do more than grip Loki’s fingers weakly, as they threatened to slip bloodily from his grasp. “In what way would this have ended if not in chaos?” The sky above grumbled, echoing the god’s frustration.

“Chaos is not what I was referring to, Thor. What do a few human lives matter? They are but ants to us. We are Gods, you and I. Ones, like ourselves, do not perish beneath rubble.”

“We all perish, Loki, whether it is under rubble or in flames. It is what we do with our time here that makes a difference.”

Thor was never philosophical. Loki stood up, exasperation lining his face. “And being close to death makes you the enlightened one? You will just give up now?”

“Enlightened? Me?” Thor choked back a laugh, blood tinged spittle clinging to his lips. “You jest Loki. I merely accept we are not all there is in this world. My time has – ”

“You’ll not die here. Thor, did you hear me? I’ll not let you die on this sorry Earth. Give me a moment to stem the blood and – ”

“My time has come Loki. Even you, the master of tricks and spells, have no power over life and death.”

“You will heal… and even if…” Loki knew his limits although he was never fond of admitting he had them. But there was always hope. He may not possess the power… His gaze rose to the Stark tower and the device that sat on the roof.

“No, Loki.” Thor suppressed a shudder through his body. “Do not do this. Do not do this for me. Whatever power that wizard’s toy holds, I’ll not have it bring me back a living corpse. Promise me, Loki. Let Thor die as Thor, son of Odin. And promise me you will return home. Mother and father mourn for you, mourn for their lost son.”

“I am not their son, I never was. They will do well to remember that.”It was meant to be a warning, but Loki could not keep the bitter edge from his words. His fists clenched at his sides, the feel of blood cold and wet between his fingers. The ledger was dripping red and it could not be wiped clean.

“Oh Loki, for one so well versed in all manners of intelligence, why are you the fool in this? They care not where you came from. They raised you, you are their child, now and forever. You are my brother. _I_ forgive you. _They_ will forgive you.”

“Forgive me? For killing their beloved Thor? I think not.”

To incur Odin’s wrath… With the destruction and havoc across two realms, Loki would be hunted across the universe. As children Thor would bear the brunt of the punishment for he was the chivalrous one, the stronger one. Not to mention the stubborn, obstinate one who could never talk himself out of trouble. Except this time, not even the Lord of Lies would be able to cough up enough excuses to abscond from his crimes. There would be no mercy, only justice.

Thor sighed, the noise rattling along his throat and escaping in a coughing fit. “You forget… they… I…” His voice was fading, drowning in a sea of blood. “Our love…”

_Love is for children…_

What was he but a boy at heart? Pushing at boundaries, climbing higher, running farther only to be outmatched in every way. Yearning for the approval that would never come. Clutching the whispered slights to his heart like armour. Hurting the ones that came close to avoid hurting himself in the end…

It took little effort to slip into Thor’s weakened mind. His defences were hardly a challenge at the best of times, now… Loki focused on a memory and let it grow.

The streets of New York faded into the ether. Walls rose up from the ground, a window framing the newly risen moon, they were in the rooms they shared as children. The wood in the fireplace crackled and gave off a familiar warmth, heady in the scent of oak and pine. The night was too young to surrender to sleep. Worlds away, a boy with black hair was casting shadow puppets on the wall, a touch of magic bringing to life dragons and giants, whilst his brother watched, nestled in amongst a bundle of thick furs, hiding from the mythic beasts being conjured up.

“I’m tired,” Thor whispered eyes closing in the comfort of a memory. “Loki, tell me a story for my dreams tonight.”

A man grown, Loki swallowed his tears and began the tale, “There once was a warrior named Thor. He was a hero in many worlds…”


End file.
